Eli is blind all the way through the movie. If i never told you that, i doubt you would of noticed. After me telling you, you will probably realize that he his blind. He either smells or hears things before he acts..

its the book of eli like in the bible...the man in the bible recited what god had said to him so he spoke it to the scribes. that's what i think the end is based off.
just because the book is in braille doesn't mean he is blind...sighted people can read braille too.
idk that's just my opinion